Hardware recycling plays a critical role in helping organisations meet Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments, regardless of sector. By ensuring end-of-life equipment is responsibly collected, processed, and repurposed, businesses can reduce landfill waste, lower carbon emissions, and keep valuable materials circulating in the supply chain. This directly supports environmental targets such as emissions reduction and resource efficiency, while also demonstrating accountability to investors, regulators, and the communities in which they operate.

From financial services to healthcare, utilities to manufacturing, every industry faces increasing scrutiny around sustainability performance. Responsible hardware recycling provides a measurable, reportable action that strengthens ESG disclosures and aligns technology investment with corporate sustainability goals. It also reduces risk by ensuring data-bearing assets are securely handled and disposed of in compliance with privacy and security standards

The Cisco Takeback Incentive rewards organisations for responsibly returning end-of-life Cisco hardware when they upgrade to new solutions. Customers receive upfront and incremental discounts on refresh and migration projects, lowering the cost of modernisation. Returned hardware is then reused, refurbished, or recycled by Cisco, helping reduce e-waste and keeping valuable materials in circulation.

For customers, the benefit is two-fold: immediate cost savings plus measurable sustainability outcomes that can be reported against ESG frameworks.

It’s a tool available to Cisco Environmental Sustainability specialised partners that models the projected energy savings, emissions reductions, and cost benefits a customer can achieve by modernising their technology infrastructure. For critical operations, it helps quantify both ROI and ESG impact before a project begins.